founder

¹

[foun-der]

noun

1. a person who founds or establishes something, as a company or institution.

founder

²

[foun-der]

verb (used without object)

1. (of a ship, boat, etc.) to fill with water and sink.

2. to fall or sink down, as buildings, ground, etc..

   Built on a former lake bed, the building has foundered nearly ten feet.

3. to become wrecked; fail utterly.

   The project foundered because public support was lacking.

   Synonyms: flop, perish, sink, topple, succumb, collapse

4. to stumble, break down, or go lame, as a horse.

   His mount foundered on the rocky path.

5. to become ill from overeating.

6. Veterinary Pathology.,  (of a horse) to suffer from laminitis.

verb (used with object)

1. to cause to fill with water and sink.

   Rough seas had foundered the ship in mid-ocean.

2. Veterinary Pathology.,  to cause (a horse) to break down, go lame, or suffer from laminitis.

noun

1. Veterinary Pathology.,  laminitis.

founder

³

[foun-der]

noun

1. a person who founds or casts metal, glass, etc.

founder

¹

/ ˈfaʊndə /

verb

1. (of a ship) to sink

2. to break down or fail

   the project foundered

3. to sink into or become stuck in soft ground

4. to fall in or give way; collapse

5. (of a horse) to stumble or go lame

6. archaic,  (of animals, esp livestock) to become ill from overeating

noun

1. vet science another name for laminitis

founder

²

/ ˈfaʊndə /

noun

1. 1. a person who makes metal castings

   2. ( in combination )

      an iron founder

founder

³

/ ˈfaʊndə /

noun

1. a person who establishes an institution, company, society, etc

Usage

Founder is sometimes wrongly used where flounder is meant: this unexpected turn of events left him floundering (not foundering )

Other Word Forms

• unfoundered adjective
• unfoundering adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of founder¹

First recorded in 1275–1325; Middle English found(o)ur, foundere, fundre “original builder of a city, church, castle, or city; founder of a country,” from Anglo-French fundur, from Old French fondeor, from Latin fundātōr-, stem of fundātor; found ¹; -er ¹ ( def. )

Origin of founder²

First recorded in 1300–50; Middle English foundren, funder, fonder, from Old French fondrer “to plunge to the bottom, submerge,” from Vulgar Latin fundorāre (unattested), derivative of fundor-, an s -stem noun interpreted as stem of Latin fundus, actually an o -stem noun (stem fund- ) “bottom”

Origin of founder³

First recorded in 1400–50; Middle English foundour, founder, from Old French fondeur, from fondre “to melt, cast”; found ³, -er ¹

Word History and Origins

Origin of founder¹

C13: from Old French fondrer to submerge, from Latin fundus bottom; see _found ²

Origin of founder²

C15: see _found ³

Origin of founder³

C14: see _found ²

Example Sentences

Though British rule over his home country of Jamaica ended in 1962, independence and economic mismanagement led to high unemployment and a foundering youth culture.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

The schisms underscore the growing fragility of the nascent coalition in the waning days of its founder.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Lianne Simpson, its founder, said: "We have collected them over a period of time and have seen a massive influx in donations."

Read more on BBC

“I’m the least retired person in the world,” the Amazon founder says.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

National Cash Register founder John Henry Patterson elevated the role of sales and the position of salesperson, recognizing that marketing matters just as much as the product.

Read more on The Wall Street Journal

Related Words

• architect 
• author 
• benefactor 
• builder 
• creator 
• designer 
• inventor 
• organizer 
• patron 
• planner